In June dh will be in SF to review grants. In the past we’ve gone and done wine tours in Sonoma and Napa after the meeting and were thinking we might go south this time. Generally what we like to do is hike in the morning, taste wine in the afternoon and eat a nice meal in the evening. Any can’t miss places we should go?
The best hike is probably Point Lobos State Park just south of Carmel. Great loop around the point! You’ll probably see deer, sea lions, otters, and more.
Monterey Bay Aquarium? Santa Cruz Boardwalk? Downtown Carmel? Laguna Seca, if you’re a racing fan.There are so many places and restaurants.
We did that Point Lobos hike or some version of it for our honeymoon. Looking forward to doing it again almost 33 years later. Won’t have the VW camper this time though!
This is highly rated, and Pacific Grove is a quieter side of the peninsula with miles of walks along the rocky shore… http://www.passionfish.net/about If you like to bike, you can bike Pebble Beach to Carmel, though there are hills.
Passionfish looks great and I approve their wine philosophy!
@mathmom A lot of people park just outside Point Lobos and hike in, but a relative that lives nearby says there are a lot of car break-ins outside the park. I’ve parked outside without problems, but the last several times we’ve just parked inside (and it helps support the park).
Pacific Grove is one of our favorite places to stay when we visit the Monterey Peninsula. Asilomar State Beach is lovely and Point Pinos lighthouse is worth a visit as well. I haven’t been to Passion Fish, but would recommend Fishwife in Pacific Grove, near Asilomar. Delicious! Other restaurant recommendations–Sea Harvest Fish Market (casual) and Crystal Fish (Sushi), both in Monterey and for breakfast, First Awakenings in the Tin Cannery and Wave Street Cafe.
I also agree with the recommendation of Point Lobos for hiking and beautiful views–one of our favorites!
We enjoy these beachfront cottages, very close to the entrance to Point Lobos. It’s been a few years, but a bobcat would walk through the property every afternoon. They are rustic by modern standards, but extremely comfortable and quiet. Ticks will probably be ferocious after all the rain- dress defensively.
http://pointlobosrentals.com
Big Sur is really nice. Carmel is also extremely nice. 17 mile drive in Monterey - picturesque.
I would go to wherever Big Little Lies was filmed. I was constantly mesmerized by the ocean views and waves crashing on the rocks.
If you can manage to kayak at Elkhorn Slough, I recommend that highly. A-ma-zing! A friend took us a few years ago and we saw tons of seals, pelicans, other birds. It was spectacular – so much wildlife. It is located inland from the power plant on the beach halfway between Monterey and Santa Cruz.
Are you planning on a trip out to the wineries in Santa Lucia Highlands?
I assume you are driving down from SF? If you haven’t seen the redwoods, I highly recommend stopping at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, just outside of Santa Cruz. If just passing through, there are a couple of quick trails through the park where you can see some amazing redwoods. It’s a bit off the beaten path, though an easy diversion of 17 on the way down into Santa Cruz. We entered from the northern side of the park, but upon leaving traveled the south way out which brought us right into Santa Cruz. The park is was not heavily touristy like the other popular places around SF to see the trees but we were there in April and not June though from what I’ve read, it’s never crowded.
@4kids4us Probably driving from Mountain View if we see our son first. The Redwoods Park looks lovely and just the right sort of detour.
@anomander we have no specific wineries in mind. Just gathering ideas at the moment.
@LBowie I love the idea of kayaking.
We went to the Redwoods Park last June. There are a variety of trails in terms of length and difficulty. It wasn’t particularly crowded.
There is a bridge out on Highway 1 in Big Sur. You can’t get through. That part of Highway 1 is closed and will be closed until somewhere around October. So if your plan is to drive the Big Sur coast, you’ll have to find another plan, unfortunately.
If you want to see redwoods on the way to Monterey, I recommend Big Basin State Park instead of Henry Cowell.
Wow@Cardinal Fang, good to know. I was recently driving from Crescent City CA and trying to drive down Highway 1 to Ft Bragg in late March. There was a lot of roadwork due to heavy rains washing out the roads and Highway 1 was closed between Crescent City and Ft Bragg too.
We were fascinated by the Monterey Aquarium and had a wonderful whale watching trip too. As well as hump backs we saw a blue whale (very unexpected), sunfish and shoals of different dolphins. Everyone was enthralled.